Abyss
The Abyss is the name given to the endless sea of demi-planes drift around Tolas. The Abyss is not tethered via a planar anchor but instead drifts towards and away from the Material Plane as the Hells do. It is ruled by a brutal hierarchy of Demon Princes that enforce their will through dread power, scheming, and raw strength. History The Abyss has no true history. The events of it's past shift and change to match whatever present the Abyss assumes. Events in the Abyss only ever become static when they involve other, more stable planes. Turathi Incursion F''or more on this event see here'' When the Empire of Turath was at the height of its power, the sheer concentration of devils and fiends drawing the Abyss so close to the mortal planes that even the deepest layers began to draw close to the material plane and demons began to spill forth. The demons and the Turathi devils immediately began to make war that would envelope the empire and eventually cause it's downfall. Dragonfall When Tiamat manifested in the material plane she began to draw devils from the Hells to serve in her war. Like thunder after lighting, the demons of the Abyss began to gain power in kind, appearing in greater numbers, often spontaneously. Numerous settlements became subject to demonic incursions such as the one that occurred in the city of Sang. Layers The Abyss consist of an infinite sea of demi-planes that shift around in the planar expanse. When one layer draws close enough to another a portal can form between them , temporarily connecting them and allowing the denizens of each to spill forth into the other. Most layers of the Abyss exist only as drifts of uncertainty, becoming concrete only when brought into contact with other planes and often ceasing to exist as soon as they stray apart. These layers can take the form of anything from volcanic wastelands to gargantuan palaces constructed from gemstones. Some layers are more defined, these are either more often visited by denizens of other planes or are controlled by powerful Demon Lords. Even these planes are not predictable though. They can seemingly cease to exist for long stretches of time or revert to past versions of themselves. Azzagrat Not a single layer but many under one rule, Azzagrat is subject to Graz'zt, the turncoat Archdevil. Graz'zt's domain is a contradiction, an attempt to place order upon the chaos of the Abyss. The realms of Azzagrat are varied but through all of them are temples and supplicants to Graz'zt and his hedonistic notions. Ishiar The churning black sea of Ishiar is domain to Dagon, banished spawn of Xhahon-Dor turned Demon Prince. The layer is the location of Ugothanok, called the Stolen City and is home to Dagon's vast brood of fiend-spawn hybrids. Ringhollow Ringhollow is the realm of Fraz-Urb'luu, Prince of Illusions. The layer itself is a vast and complex illusion under the control of Fraz-Urb'luu, potent enough to mask the chaos of the Abyss. Many a desperate fool has thought himself free of the Abyss when in truth being prisoner to Fraz's trickery. Fraz-Urb'luu fuels these illusions by populating his realm with gespen, many of whom have been created by the machinations of the demon prince himself. Gozoa Realm of the Eye of Gozo, it inexorably draws other layers of the Abyss towards it, turning them and their inhabitants to slag and funneling them towards a central gulf as the Eye watches from above like a mocking imitation of the Hateful Sun. Salot Deep in the Abyss lies the layer of Salot, a dark reflection of the Material Plane whose master is the iron-fisted Kormak. Salot is almost identical to its twin with only a few key differences revealing themselves to the observant. In the Amaran, the rise of Xhahon-Dor was stemmed by a party of heroes, the Ember Band stand triumphant in restoring the glory of Old Turai and the spellplague and intrigue at the heart of Novdahain were brought to a satisfying conclusion. Endless Maze Ruled by the Demon Prince Baphomet, the Horned King preys upon those that find themselves trapped in his hunting ground, a labyrinth that mirrors his own twisted mind. When not spending time hunting for sport, Baphoment studies every detail of the mazes he creates and exults in the dread that will overcome those that find themselves lost in them. Those that find themselves in the maze are overcome with a feeling of being stalked by the Horned King, though seldom does the lord of the maze strike until the maze has exhausted and drained the victim off all strength. This plane is also home to twisted minotaurs as well as many demonic creatures plucked from the chaos of the Abyss to serve as distractions within the maze. Maw The Maw is often written as the 88th layer of the Abyss, though such a fact is attributed to madmen that speak of a grateful universe being devoid of all life, and the doom of all worlds. It is this realm that is believed to be where the lord of all demons, Demogorgon dwells, his rule being one of unfettered violence and rage. It is a realm divided, much like its ruler with his twin heads, with his symbol carved into the very fabric of the plane itself, ever driving those that look upon it into servants of Demogorgon, breaking the minds of lesser beings and subtly corrupting the souls of those that believe themselves strong willed enough to resist. Tukor The realm of Gruumsh, a entity of boiling rage that fought against the Turathi during the Blood War, bringing with him his corrupted followers born from his demonic blood. His layer of the Abyss is filled with steaming pits of blood that rain down and stain any who tread the war torn land of Tukor, the weapons and armor of the fallen left discarded on across its drenched rocky lands. Legend speaks of a sea of blood and a shoreline that stretches from one end of the plane to another horizon that travelers can emerge from, their own blood boiling with an infectious rage driving them into a frenzy. Demonweb A nexus of webs and connected strands of the Abyss, the Demonweb is the home of Lolth and her spider fiends. Here the spider queen rules over a twisted realm of deceiving routes that all lead back to her great fortress, said to be a a tower of chains stolen from the realm of Highvale that sits atop the back of a great spider its body lashed together by the now corrupted metals of the sun to snuff out all light and smother the surrounding area in darkness. Yochlol roam the demonwebs freely, the favoured spawn of Lolth as she peers through the eyes of her thralls. Category:In-World Concepts Category:Abyss Category:Plane Category:The Nine Hells Category:Fiends